Peeling apparatus for leguminous tubers



Jan. 15, 1935. A. WEIBEL FEELING APPARATUS FOR LEGUMINOUS TUBERS Filed Aug. 18. 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 15",!1935.

A. WEIBEL FEELING APPARATUS FOR ,LEGUMINOUS' TUBERS 1 Filed'Aug. 18, 1930' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVBN Tog Patented Jan. 15, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

Alfred Weibel, Spiez, Switzerland Application August 18, 1930, Serial No. 476,118 In Germany August 22, 1929 Claims. (01.146-43) The invention relates to a peeling apparatus, whereby the leguminous tubers are moved between at least one pair of peeling knives carried by spring restrained arms. The known peeling 5 apparatus all are so constructed, that the peeling-knives peel the tubers only during movement thereof in one direction. It is the object of the present invention to avoid this lost movement, where no peeling takes place. For this purpose the peeling-knives must be constructed and mounted in such a way, that every time a tuber passes between the knives a part of its peel is removed. According to this invention the knives possess two cutting edges and the 35 support whereon the knives are mounted have swinging arms, movable by the pressure of a passing tuber in both directions, in respect to a central position thereof. These swinging arms are mounted on a beam, movable to and fro in a vertical direction in respect to the cutting edges; all this in such a way, that the peelingknives are thus adjusted by a tuber passing through two opposed knives, that the cuttingedge of every knife is posed in the axis of rota- 25 tion of the respective peeling-knife and the peeling of the tuber in both directions of the passing is assured.

The drawings, illustrating the invention by way of example, represents in Fig. 1 a plan view of the peeling-knives of the apparatus with their supporting swinging arms, but without feeding mechanism for the tubers, and

Fig. 2 a sectional view of a peeling-knife.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one cradle.

Fig. 4 is a detailed view, partly in section of a cradle, in one position.

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the cradle in another position.

Two arms 5 each mounted on supporting posts 5 carry at one of their ends a fork 6. The two arms of the fork 6 form a bearing for a swinging arm 7, having a fork 7, said arm being pivoted about the axle 8 carried by the fork 6 and also slidably mounted between the arms of said fork is a forked support 9. The arms of the forked support 9 are pressed by a spring 11 wound around the pin carried by the support, against two shoulders 12 and 12 of the swinging arm 7, keeping said arm in a vertical position in respect to the support 6. Between the two forked ends of the swinging arm 7 is mounted a swinging peeling-knife supporting cradle 13, having a slot 14 in its centre. In the slot 14 is fixed a knife 15 with two cutting edges, protruding a little bit above the centre part of the cradle. The two opposed journals 16 on the forked arms of the fork 7' engage in holes of the movable arm of the link 1'7, pivotally connected as at 18 to the cradle and movable between the cheeks 13' and 5 also between the end walls 13" of the cradle. Instead that the journals 16 engage in a lever, they could engage directly in vertical notches of the peeling-knives. The larger the knife 15, the greater the swinging movement of the links 1'7, 10 thus securing an approximate central position of the cutting edges in respect to the journals 16, the swinging movement of the cradle being limited by a helical spring 19 protruding from the fork '7' between the arms thereof and ex- 15 tend between the sides of the cradle the spring 19 is closely wound upon the screw 19' as shown in Fig. 4. A head 20 with two points, fixed on a pole 21, which can turn and slide in a, not illustrated, frame, serves to guide a tuber be- 20 tween to peeling-knives. The to be peeled tuber moves to and fro between the knives by aid of said head and another pointed head 22, the two heads making a corresponding movement. After every vertical movement the pole 21 with head 25 and tuber is turned for a fraction of a turn, by hand or by a known switching apparatus. The tuber touches the peeling-knives 15 every time with a difierent part, when passing to and fro, securing at the same time a peeling of a different part also. The knife cradle is adapted to swing to and fro between the cheeks '13 in such a manner that during the movement of the vegetable tuber in Figure 4 from top to bottom, the upper knife edge lies in the vertical central plane A- -A of the journals 16 and the arm 7 and during the movement of the vegetable tuber upward (Figure 5) the lower knife edge lies approximately in the plane AA.

Instead of two peeling-knives six similar knives may be employed, arranged in a circle, in a known way, on arms of different lengths however.

The advantage of the described apparatus above other known apparatus with peelingknives mounted on inclined, inwardly moving arms is the one, that the knives will not touch the holding apparatus of the tubers and cannot be damaged thereby, the arms of the peelingknives swinging only in the longitudinal direction of the movement performed by the tuber, not being forced by means of springs to swing inwardly against the holding apparatus, when the peeling-knives slip off from the tuber.

What I claim is:

1. In a device for peeling potatoes, a cutting means comprising opposed swinging arms, cradles disposed in spaced relation and pivotally connected with the opposed ends of the arms, and double edged cutting blades carried by the cradles and adapted to engage the article to be peeled as it moves in reverse directions between the cradles and yieldable means for limiting the swinging movement of the cradles.

2. In a device for peeling potatoes, a cutting means comprising a plurality of stationary arms,

arms pivotally connected with the stationaryarms, spring pressed supports carried by the stationary arms adapted to engage the pivoted arms to resist the pivotal movement thereof, forks carried by the pivoted arms, cradles pivotally supported by the forks, and double'edged peeling knives carried by the cradles, as and for the purpose set forth.

3.. In a device for peeling potatoes, a cutting means comprising a plurality of stationary arms,

arms pivotally connected to the stationary arms and having shoulders thereon, supports carried by the stationary arms and having forks for engaging the shoulders, means for yieldably holding the forks engaged with said shoulders, cradles pivotally connected with the pivoted arms, and double edged peeling blades carried by the cradles.

4. In a device for peeling potatoes, a cutting means comprising a. pair of stationary arms, a pair of opposed arms pivotally connected with the stationary arms, forks upon the opposed ends of the pivoted arms, cradles having double edged peeling blades therein, and link pivotally connecting the cradles with the forks of the pivoted arms.

5. In a device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the cradles are engaged by coiled springs carried by the pivoted arms to limit the swinging movements of the cradles.

ALFRED WEIBEL. 

